


Feeling Protected

by WayWardWonderer



Category: Black Panther (2018), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bonding, Friendship, Gen, Hurt, Lost - Freeform, Protect, Rescue, Save, Stranded, Trust, injured
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-05-04 04:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14585403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WayWardWonderer/pseuds/WayWardWonderer
Summary: Everett Ross and Princess Shuri end up stranded in the mountains after a prototype plane crashes far from the palace. In the aftermath of the crash Everett and Shuri protect one another and through this act of trust their bonds strengthen and show great promise for the future of Wakanda and America alike.





	Feeling Protected

A few weeks after King T'Challa of Wakanda; a.k.a. the Black Panther, had formed an alliance with former Air Force Pilot and current C.I.A. Agent Everett Ross the wise King had asked for his new friend to return to Wakanda and aid his younger sister, Princess Shuri, with her latest craft. The resourceful young princess and technician had designed a much smaller version of the stealth plane that Wakandans often piloted during recognizance missions and had asked for Everett to join her during its first test flight.

"Welcome back, Colonizer." Shuri teased as Everett was escorted by Okoye to her lab. Despite the less than flattering nickname Shuri had tremendous respect for Everett and his courage. His assistance in defending the Wakandans against the cruel, but brief reign, of 'Kilmonger' would not be forgotten. "Are you ready to fly?"

"This isn't going to be another hologram, is it?" Everett asked curiously as Shuri showed him to the hangar where the prototype stealth plane was sitting idle.

"No. This is going to be the real deal." Shuri pressed a bead on her Kimoyo beaded bracelet and the small plane glowed blue as it powered up. "The purpose of this prototype is to determine how well the size of a craft can withstand high speeds while in combat."

"Uh... We're not going to get shot at, are we?"

"Of course not." Shuri confirmed as she and Everett approached the plane. "If this test is successful then we will work on fire fights during flight with a hologram simulation to ensure no one gets hurt."

"Oh. But we need to pilot the craft manually because...?"

"Because a hologram cannot show us any potential bugs or glitches. Only a keen eye and the experience of a skilled pilot can do this."

"Well... Alright." Everett watched as Shuri walked up the ramp and entered the plane. "Let's get this done."

* * *

It wasn't long before Everett had the plane taxied out of the hangar and soaring through the air with Shuri as his lone passenger. While Everett navigated through trees over the mountains Shuri made notes on her digital display pad to ensure every little detail, any possible minor discrepancy had been noted with meticulous care.

"Everything seems fine." Everett stated as he rose higher into the air over the snow covered mountains. "But the fuel supply seems awfully low, even for a smaller craft."

"We use Vibranium to fuel our technology." Shuri explained without looking up from her notes. "The fuel supply doesn't-"

The plane suddenly shuddered unexpectedly as the plane itself began to lose power.

While Everett fought to remain in control of the craft Shuri tried to isolate the problem. The plane's nose began to drop as the engines failed and the craft, along with its two passengers, were left at the mercy of gravity and strong wind.

"Going down!" Everett all but yelled. "Hold on!"

Shuri quickly activated emergency procedures in an attempt to restore power to the plane, but it failed. Knowing that a crash landing was inevitable she then triggered safety protocols to protect herself and Everett during the crash.

Two very strong restraints emerged from the shoulders of the seats and formed an 'X' over Shuri and Everett's chests to keep them positioned in their seats. The Vibranium in the fuel tank had been ejected to keep the plane from bursting in flame upon impact. And all of the cargo bay had been secured behind an energy barrier to keep any loose items from entering the cockpit and causing damage to the occupants.

"Don't look!" Everett urged as he tried to keep the plane from nosediving into unforgiving mountainous landscape.

Shuri put her hands over her face and stifled her justified scream of terror. The last thing she could remember from the crash was feeling Everett's protective arm pressing over her as if he could somehow shield her from the devastating impact yet to come!

* * *

A cold sensation against Shuri's forehead roused her from her sleep. Opening her eyes she saw that she was laying on her side on the floor of a small mountainous cavern surrounded by rocks, ice and snow. A single drop of icy water had fallen from the cold cavernous ceiling and ran down her face. As she reached a hand up to wipe away the drop of water Shuri realized that Everett's jacket was draped over her body.

A warm glow from the far side of the cavern, near the opening, drew her attention and pulled her back into full consciousness. Lifting her head up she saw that Everett was hunched over a small fire tossing down bits of twigs and dried foliage into the flames to fuel them.

"Everett?" Shuri called out weakly as she pushed herself upright on one arm.

"Princess." Everett turned his attention from the fire and over to Shuri with an immense look of relief on his face. "You're awake."

"What... What happened?" As she rose to her feet Everett rushed over, with a slight limp in his gait, and put a hand on her arm to keep her from toppling over. As his jacket fell away from her body he grabbed it and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"You don't remember the crash?"

"I do." She admitted with a sleepy lilt in her voice as she slipped her arms into the jacket sleeves. "I just... I do not remember how I got inside the cave."

"We crashed a few meters from here." Everett pointed with one hand toward the pile of mangled metal and wires that jutted out unnaturally from the mountainous landscape. "Fortunately, I found your pad." Removing the device from his back pocket he handed it to her. "It took me a minute but I think I managed to pinpoint our coordinates and send out a distress signal."

Shuri accepted the device and checked Everett's work. Indeed he had found a way to call for help. "How long have we been here?"

"An hour. I think." He lifted his arm and showed her his broken watch. "Kind of hard to tell for sure."

"Are you injured?"

"A little bruised, but I'll be okay."

"You have a cut on your forehead." Shuri pointed to the bleeding wounded concerned. "You may have a concussion."

"I didn't hit my head." Everett explained. "I think a piece of rock got sent flying through the air when he crashed and grazed me. How's your head?"

"I am fine." Shuri didn't have a headache, not that she could possibly understand how. "I am tired but I do not think I was concussed."

"That's good." Everett smiled as he guided her toward the fire. "Keep warm. I'll keep a lookout for any search parties."

"Are you sure?" Shuri asked as he sat her down in front of the fire. "You do not know these mountains as well as I."

"True, but, I have spent an uncomfortable amount of time scaling dangerous locations and encountering just as dangerous people." Everett rubbed his hands together to stave off the cold as he took a clumsy step away from the cavern and onto a small boulder. "I won't go far." As he hefted himself up onto the top of the boulder he let out a noticeable groan of pain. "I just need to get..." He wheezed briefly and caught his breath. "a little higher."

"Everett!" Shuri called out to her friend as a twinge of fear ran down her spine. "I do not want to be alone!"

"You won't be." He called back calmly. "I'll be right back, I promise."

Shuri sighed and gazed into the roaring fire for a few seconds before turning her focus onto her pad. She could see six moving dots closing in on her coordinates which meant the search party was closing in. Until then she needed a distraction to keep her thoughts from becoming overwhelmed and to keep herself from panicking.

Using the recorded data logs Shuri reviewed the footage of the crash. The footage had been recorded from the front of the cockpit, facing the two passengers from above the windshield.

Shuri felt a tear form in her eyes as she watched the crash replay in gruesome detail. When she saw Everett put his arm over her to shield her during the crash she couldn't restrain the tears any longer.

"Everett..."

Speeding up the footage she watched as the crash abruptly ended and she watched her own body laying slumped over in her seat with small flames erupting from the control panel in front of her. Beside her Everett unfastened his safety restraints and quickly unfastened her own before scooping her up into his arms and carrying her from the wrecked prototype.

"I think I..." Everett winced as he hopped back down from the boulder and to the small fire. "I see them..."

"Everett, are you certain you are uninjured?"

"A few bruises." He tried to reassure her but his face suddenly paled and his eyes rolled back in his head.

"Everett!" As Everett fell forward Shuri manged to jump up and catch him in her arms before he collapsed onto the rocky surface of the mountain. Pressing her hands against his upper body to support his weight Shuri felt a swelling in his chest as at least two ribs shifted under her touch. "I knew it." She grumbled to herself as she guided Everett down to the ground beside the fire.

Kneeling down she pulled him up onto her lap, letting his head rest against her. Carefully Shuri pulled open his pale blue button down shirt and ran her hands down the surface of his white t-shirt beneath.

"You are hurt." Shuri whispered as she tried to hold him as close to her as possible. "Why did you not tell me?"

A low flying plane above drew Shuri's gaze upward as it spotted the fire and located a nearby place to land.

"You did it. You saved us." Shuri whispered to Everett as the rescue plane prepared for landing. "I owe you my life."

* * *

The digital display of the medical showed Everett's vital signs normal and stable, but Shuri couldn't help but worry for him. Despite his injuries Everett's primary focus was helping Shuri and keeping her safe from further harm. Fortunately Wakandan medicine easily repaired all the damage. Now Everett just needed to rest.

Shuri sat in a chair beside the medical bed in her lab as Everett slept deeply beneath a thick, dark blue quilt. During the crash Everett had suffered three broken ribs, a bruised lung and minor tear of his rotator cuff from keep his arm out to protect Shuri.

"You Americans." Shuri muttered as she watched Everett sleeping. "Why do you always have to be so stubborn?" Leaning toward his ear she whispered her appreciation to him. "Thank you all the same."

"Sister." T'Challa entered the lab with a cautious look in his warm brown eyes. "I am glad to see you have returned."

"Brother." Shuri rose from her chair and walked over to her brother and hugged him tightly. "I am glad to be back."

"How is Everett?" T'Challa asked as he held his sister in a tight hug. "I understand he had been injured in the crash."

"Yes." Shuri confirmed as she released her hug. "During the crash he protected me and then denied his injuries."

"He was more concerned with you than himself." T'Challa confirmed with an amused grin on his face. "Just as he done before when he protected Nakia from a bullet."

Shuri turned her head to look down at Everett's sleeping face. "Why does he not care about himself?"

"I can assure you Shuri, he does care about him." He put a hand on her shoulder affectionately. "He simply cares about other people, more."

Shuri reached her hand out and ran her fingers through Everett's hair. She had always been very independent and free-spirited. To have someone risk their own life to protect hers; someone who wasn't a member of the Royal Guard or even Wakandan, was very new and wonderful to the young princess.

"Everett's selfless nature is why I trust him," T'Challa continued. "and in time I know he will become a trusted member on my council."

"Yes." Shuri agreed with a faint smile. "I believe you are right, brother."

_**-The End** _


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